Glorieux, Francois

François Glorieux was born in Belgium in 1932, and acclaimed throughout Europe, the USA, Latin America, Canada, Japan, China, the Middle East and Africa. He is one of the most widely accomplished and versatile musicians traveling the international circuit today: pianist composer conductor, commentator, entertainer, honorary professor of chamber music at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent and guest professor at Yale University (USA). His particular art was the rare one of improvisation presented in five languages. Glorieux practices all musical styles and has been highly considered by great artists such as André Cluytens, Arthur Rubinstein, Yves Nat, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Enrique Jorda, Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, but also Michael Jackson, Stan Kenton, Stéphane Grappelli, Paul McCartney, Toots Thielemans, Jacky Collins, Annie Girardot, Dionne Warwick, A.C. Jobim, and so on.

‘Glorieux is a contemporary composer, but one who shuns avant-garde and cerebral music. His forms are free and allow for the full scope of his invention. While this is composed music, it has the flair of improvisation and fantasy created for the moment when it is sounded. His music shows echoes of the impressionism of Debussy and Ravel. Often, there is a strong element of jazz and blues and even Latin-American rhythms. At other times, there is a lyric vein that might recall café songs. Further there are abrupt shifts in volume, tempo and rhythm. All of this is fused into a distinct sound, the composer’s own “voice”. And it is a voice of great appeal. François Glorieux’s greatest virtue is easy to define: he has the fatal appeal of deadly charm. Whatever the particular music might be, there is wit, refinement and cosmopolitan sophistication.’